Release Date:

June 4, 1949

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

In New York, Bugs Bunny tells an old man the story of gambler Steve Brody and what led him to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886. In flashback, Brody has a terrific run of bad luck and decides he needs a rabbit’s foot for a good luck charm. After targeting Bugs, Bugs persuades him to go to “Swami Rabbitima” for advice. It’s actually Bugs in disguise, who only serves to make Brody’s luck get even worse from there.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1085 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue.

This cartoon is most notable for being the only ever Bugs Bunny cartoon to be directed by Davis. This is also Davis’ penultimate cartoon as his unit would be shut down a few months later (due to budget problems forcing Warner to have to cut their four units down to three and with Davis’ unit being the last one added), leaving only Jones, Freleng, and McKimson to direct almost every single cartoon up until the studio’s original 1964 closure.

This is the final Warner cartoon to be written by William Scott and in release order, the last to be written by Lloyd Turner (the three cartoons he wrote solo, “Dough Ray Me-Ow”, “Odor of the Day”, and “Holiday for Drumsticks” were all in production after this one, but were released before it).

The cartoon uses the chubby Bugs design from McKimson’s 1940’s Bugs Bunny cartoons and is the only time Bugs appeared this way outside of a McKimson cartoon.

This is the first cartoon to use the 1949 orange rings and one of the few to use a black background instead of a blue one.

This is also the first cartoon since “The Unruly Hare” to feature the iconic Bugs Bunny headshot in the opening rings. In his 1990 book, “Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare” (which was published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of “A Wild Hare”, Bugs’ debut), Joe Adamson accurately describes this headshot as “the face that launched a thousand WHOOPs when it flashed on screen in post-World War ll America”. Almost every Bugs Bunny cartoon from this point onwards uses this headshot.

Brody is voiced by Billy Bletcher, in one of his last roles in a Warner cartoon.

The dog who licks Brody’s face before spitting in disgust and walking away resembles Shep from “Bone Sweet Bone”.

There was a real life Steve Brodie who had enthusiastically claimed that he jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived. Although newspapers from 1886 say that he claimed it, there is no evidence that he actually did so.

A banner on the bowery says, “Had enough? Vote for Grover Cleveland”, although the flashback takes place in 1886 and Cleveland had won the 1884 election.

Bugs disguising as a fortune teller in this cartoon would serve as the inspiration for the interstitials in Looney Tunes Cartoons where Daffy is a fortune teller, and doesn’t improve one’s luck called “Daffy Psychic”.

What I Like About This One:

“This is the famous Brooklyn Bridge. One hundred and thirty-three feet high; fifteen hundred feet long. Contains hundreds of miles of cable. From it, Steve Brody made his sensational leap into the East River”, Bugs tells the old man. The old man chuckles and asks, “What in tarnation did he do that for?” Bugs answers, “I’m glad you asked that, friend. It happened in 1886” (animated by Bill Melendez).

In still pictures, Bugs explains that Brody “had a terrific run of luck- (laughs) all bad. Then one day, an idea. He needed a good luck charm. But what? Right! A rabbit’s foot! But where to find a rabbit in the big city? Nope; nowhere. He must go back to the woods. To the forest primeval. To Flatbush!” As Brody is riding a 19th century bike, the flashback begins as he cycles over to Bugs’ hole as Bugs is heard singing “All is Not Gold That Glitters”. Armed with a knife, Brody picks Bugs out by the ears. Bugs asks, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” Brody answers, “Sorry, mac. Me luck’s run out. And I gotta have a good luck charm. And YOU’RE it!” Nervously sweating with the knife’s tip on his chest, Bugs contradicts: “Now wait a minute, doc. Let’s not be hasty. Rabbit’s feet ain’t lucky!” When Brody questions, “No?”, Bugs confirms, “No. Look at the life rabbits lead. Dogs, hunters, hasenpfeffer; these rabbit’s feet never brought ME any luck! But you need help, doc. Here’s just the guy to give it to ya”. He pulls out a card for “Swami Rabbitima- Knows All Tells All. Good Luck Charms” (animated by Melendez up to here). Brody agrees to go to him, but warns, “Hmm. Okay, but if me luck don’t change, I’m comin’ back to get ya!” (animated by Basil Davidovich)

Heading to “7-11 Fortuna Boulevard”, Brody enters the swami’s place and is greeted by a mystic voice, “Enter, O seeker of knowledge!” He is hit with a sandbag that swings down toward him, and is greeted by a Mel Blanc yell, “THAT’S YOU, FATHEAD!” The swami is revealed to be Bugs in disguise, with the voices also having come from him. When Bugs asks, “Eh, what’s on your mind, doc?”, Brody starts to explain he’s had nothing but bad luck (animated by Emery Hawkins), but Bugs interrupts him so they can cut to the chase. Brody answers okay to Bugs asking him if he would like his palm read. Bugs literally paints Brody’s palm red and then asks, “How’s about reading the bumps on your head?” Brody claims, “I ain’t got no bumps on me head!” Bugs creates some by whacking him on the head with a mallet. “Now ya have!” (animated by Davidovich)

Brody begins to chase Bugs in anger with a sword, but Bugs stops him and sets up some cards on a table to see if they can change his luck. Bugs claims that the cards say that Brody will meet a handsome gent wearing a carnation, and that he’s his lucky mascot, “Mr. Good Luck himself”. Brody excitedly goes out to meet this very man, who is of course Bugs in disguise again. Coming across him, Brody asks, “Hey you! What kind of flower is that?” Bugs tells him, “It’s a carnation, doc. Why?” Brody takes him with him and informs him he’s his lucky mascot. “You gotta ‘fluence these dice!” (animated by Don Williams)

Inside the saloon, Bugs rolls the dice which seemingly stop at 3 and 4 but they then flip to snake eyes (animated by Williams). “Hey! I lost!”, Brody exclaims in bewilderment with Bugs giving the excuse, “Well, even us mascots got to warm up a little”. Claiming to be “un-fal-ible” at a slot machine, he inserts a coin in said machine as Brody eagerly attempts to collect the loot that comes out of it. He only ends up getting three literal lemons instead of coins! Furious, Brody attempts to sock Bugs, “You ain’t no good luck charm, you!” but Bugs steps away, resulting in Brody getting his fist stuck in the floor. The meek, midget waiter comes up: “At it again, eh, Brody? I’ll have to call the bouncer. Hey, gorilla!” A literal gorilla emerges (animated by Melendez) and throws Brody and his lemons out. A dog walks past the piled up Brody and licks his face but then spits in disgust before walking away (animated by Davidovich).

Brody returns to the swami place in anger: “I done what the cards said. And look what happened!” Claiming to be “in a transom”, Bugs tells him the answer is the “stars” (animated by Davidovich). Since Brody doesn’t remember when he was born as “I was pretty young then” (animated by Hawkins), Bugs decides to instead spin an astrology wheel. It stops on “Lobo, the sign of the wolf”. Bugs tells him, “That’s the answer! Unlucky at cards? You must be lucky in love (animated by Melendez). Oh, you kid, 23 skidoo! (chuckles) Chicken inspector!” Brody chuckles in embarrassment at this as Bugs encourages him, “You should strive for ‘la’mour’, as we swamis say. Now go on out and knock ‘em dead!” (animated by Hawkins)

Back outside, a “woman” drops her handkerchief and Brody picks it up, politely giving her his attention by clearing his throat. It’s once again Bugs in disguise who berates him in a feminine voice, “Oh, you masher! Cad! Ruffian! Help! Police!” A cop appears a second later and hits Brody on the head with his club (animated by Williams)

Enraged, Brody marches back in to the swami place with his sword: “You sappy swami! I’m gonna mobilize ya!” Bugs stops him and asks him exactly why he wants his luck changed. “So I can get me hands on some dough!”, Brody answers. Taking him literally, Bugs produces a strip of paper out of his crystal ball and has Brody go to 29 River Street (animated by Williams).

29 River Street is actually the address for “Grandma’s Happy Home Bakery” as Brody enters with a gun, “I know you got a mess of dough here! Let me have it!” He goes up to the conveyor belt to point his gun at the baker, who is once again, Bugs in disguise. Bugs complies to Brody’s demand, “If you insist. Grandma’s Happy Home Bakery is glad to oblige”. He pulls a lever which drops dough from a chute on top of Brody, engulfing him in it, moves the dough-covered Brody into the furnace, resulting in him being baked into a pie, that has his face on it! (animated by Davidovich)

Bugs removes his baker outfit and laughs, “What a ta-ra-ra-GOON-dee-ay!” Brody realizes this is Bugs in disguise before starting to catch on in horror, “Hey! I know you! You’re that rabbit that sent me-that sent me-uh-Oh no! It couldn’t be!” (animated by Williams) He runs back to the “woman” he met that day and takes the hat off, and is greeted by Bugs asking, “What’s up, doc?” He is also asked “What’s up, doc?” when he runs back to the “mascot”. Finally taking the turban off of the “swami”, he interrupts Bugs’ catchphrase and starts losing his mind, “Ah, don’t tell me! I know! ‘What’s up, doc?’ Rabbits! Everybody’s a rabbit! Oh, come on now, Brody! Get hold of yourself! You ain’t a rabbit!” He holds his hand in front of his eyes as he walks to the mirror but finds Bugs there instead of his reflection! As Brody backs away in fright, Bugs leans out laughing, revealing that it was a trick mirror (animated by Hawkins).

Brody goes completely nuts and starts jumping up and down the street asking, “What’s up, doc?” in complete insanity three times, which is made hilarious by Billy Bletcher’s line delivery. He pleads for an officer at the bridge to help him, “I’m flippin’ me lid! Everybody’s turnin’ into rabbits!” The officer is also revealed to be Bugs in disguise, who asks him in an Irish accent, “What’s all this about rabbits, doc!?” This terrifies Brody so badly that he makes his leap off the bridge before the flashback ends (animated by Hawkins).

Bugs concludes, “And that’s why Steve Brody jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge”. He asks the old man if there’s anything else he would like to know, but the old man decides, “Nope. That’s enough, son. I’ll buy it.” as he hands Bugs a bundle of money (animated by Melendez)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕